Survey: Rice MBA program ranks in top 20 nationally

A global business magazine places Rice University's business school in the top 20 nationally for full-time MBA programs.

In its annual survey released Monday, the Financial Times ranked the Jones Graduate School of Business No. 17 in the U.S. and No. 37 in the world. The business program ranked No. 1 in Texas and the southwest U.S., received the No. 1 spot for salary increases among graduates and No. 13 nationally for placement success.

The magazine's survey is sent to business school graduates three years after graduation.

Based on the 2008 graduating class, the average salary for Rice graduates is $122,788, which is an increase from previous years. The survey also takes into account, placement success, alumni recommendations, value of degree, the diversity of the faculty and students and the number of faculty with doctorates.

"Today's ranking from the Financial Times illustrates steady increases in the value of a Rice MBA," said Bill Glick, dean of the Jones School. "Rather than focusing on the overall ranking, however, we emphasize the elements that matter the most to our stakeholders."

The Jones School also recently received recognition for its use of social media in a survey by OnlineMBAPage.com. The business school ranked No. 8 out of 100 campus-based business schools based on data from its social media accounts.